Letters To Karen: Starting the Week With a Heavy Heart

Dear Karen,

April's school vacation last week was not quite what you expected.  I know you were expecting to struggle with getting work done with the children home all week and to perhaps take the children to an extra taekwondo class to make up for the many they've missed from being sick so much this past winter.  What you did not expect was to be watching news updates about the horrible events that took place on Patriot's Day at a location in Boston where you've probably walked through 30 times throughout your life.  Instead of wondering about what to do to keep the children occupied during vacation week, you were wondering how to explain the concept of terrorism to them.

You normally are so exhausted by the time you go to bed that you only get two pages into your book before you fall asleep, but for several nights you had a terrible time sleeping soundly.  You weren't crying or feeling particularly scared, but you were emotionally drained from days of feeling sad, angry, overwhelmingly patriotic, and proud.  The feelings of thankfulness that all your family and friends were safe and well, and that of nervousness when you, your husband, and children were listening to military helicopters flying over your neighborhood are what stayed with you the most.

This week, your job is to make life normal for your children again.  You cannot focus on the reason why you could not leave the house last Friday, causing them to miss taekwondo class.  You do not need your children to forget the tragedies that happened at the 2013 Boston Marathon or the events on that Thursday and Friday, but you should you must help them remember it as a time of heroism.  That is the task that has been set before you this week.

Photos of a Lion Dance During the August Moon Festival

Last Sunday, we took the children to their first August Moon Festival in Boston's Chinatown.  It was the first one I had been to myself for a very long time.  As a child, I remember there being huge crowds of people, lion dances right on the street, booming drums, and pieces of red paper all over the streets from the many much-too-loud firecrackers.  Our children's experiences were very different.  There was a stage set up for all the performers to use and there were no firecrackers at all.

Even though there were different groups performing for the entire festival, such as dancers and martial arts students, we only watched a performance of one of the lion dances.  The children had seen a lion dance once before during a local Chinese New Years event for children last year.  That performance was held indoors and the drums sounded much louder than they did at this outdoor performance, much to their relief.


I hope you enjoy a few of the photos I took of the performance . . .

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In addition to the lion dance, the children enjoyed walking through the main streets that were lined with street vendors selling everything from beta fish to Chinese fans to bamboo plants to die-cast double-decker tour buses.  We also ate lunch at a tiny little restaurant located in the basement of a building called Cafe de Lulu.  What the restaurant lacked in ambiance, it made up for in delicious home cooked food.  The family that owned the restaurant was very hospitable.  Then we remembered to stop by the Ho Yuen Bakery for some baked char siu bao, don tarts, and creme-filled cakes before we headed home.  I think we made some great memories that day.

Silly Monkey Story: Say What?

Earlier this year, our daughter got a new baby doll that she just adored.  That Monday, when she returned to school, she could not wait to tell her teacher all about it.  When I went to pick the twins up that day, their teacher told me that Makenzie had told her all about her doll, but when she asked her what the doll's name was, she just could not understand what Makenzie said, even after she repeated it several times.

You see, I think our daughter is the only Bostonian whose accent is so strong that other Bostonians cannot always understand her.  I have no idea where she picked up such a strong accent, since my husband's and mine are only detectable when we say certain words.

Anyways, before I left with the twins, the teacher asked Makenzie one more time what she had named her doll so that I could hear it and try to decipher it for her.  I listened carefully and after a minute, I realized she was saying "Junior."  I had forgotten that she had mentioned to me that she named her doll that even though she had decided the doll was definitely a girl.  I remember thinking that I would never be able to explain to her why Junior was not a good name for a girl, so I let it go.  I just never dreamed she would be having a conversation about that very topic with some other poor unsuspecting person.

Click here to read all my Silly Monkey Stories

Hands-On Fun with the PS Vita at the Vita Hill Social Lounge

Earlier this week, we had the pleasure of attending a private event for Boston Parent Bloggers and their families at the Vita Hill Social Club in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  How could we turn down two hours of one-on-one time with the new Playstation Vita?

The PS Vita is not just a handheld gaming system.  It might be your choice if you are in the market for a more affordable tablet.  It has both Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity if you have a plan through AT&T Wireless.  Since we only had two hours to play, I cannot write a review of this product, but I can share my family members' first impressions.

Our 8 year old son (in the Nike shirt) became quickly addicted to the PS Vita game ModNation Racers: Road Trip.  He enjoyed the racing, but thought it was very cool that he could design his own driver, racing kart, and track.  I would say that he spent close to an hour sitting at one station playing this kart racing game, even when I urged him to try out some of the other games.

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Our 5 year old twins loved the tilt motion sensing technology.  They are already use to this feature with their LeapPad, so it was easy for them to master.  They were able to test it out with one of the mini-games in the PS Vita game Little Deviants.

Every one of us agreed that the screen was amazingly sharp and crisp.  We could especially see this in the game Virtua Tennis 4, which features instant replays that closely resembled live video.  By the way, this game is very user-friendly and simple to control, using only the directional pad and the "X" button to swing.  Both our 5 year olds outplayed me in this game.  I think my overthinking was my downfall.

A feature of the Playstation Vita that I found interesting to test out was the rear touchpad.  I used it while playing a mini-game in Little Deviants, where I had to push on the rear touchpad to create hills in order to induce rolling in a particular direction.  Sadly, I could not master this skill.

One feature we did not have time to test is the cross-platform play where a PS Vita gamer can play against a Playstation 3 gamer.  We simply ran out of time.  There is only so much you can do in two hours, especially if you try to fit in refreshments and conversation too.

If you have experienced using apps and playing games on the PS Vita, I would love to hear about what you thought.  I would also love to know about the photo quality of the front and rear cameras.  At $299.99 retail, this would be a possible candidate for our next tablet.


Thank you to the Vita Hill Social Lounge and Boston Parent Bloggers for hosting this event for our family.

Photos From Day 1 of the T.J.Maxx & Marshalls Event in Boston

On November 3rd and 4th, I had the pleasure of joining 22 other bloggers from around the country for an event hosted by T.J.Maxx and Marshalls in Boston. Yes, I have lived close to Boston my whole life, but it was still a treat to get away for one night, especially when it included a stay at the historic Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel.

I was thrilled to finally meet in person several bloggers I had known online for years. Yes, I had attended BlogHer 2010, but that event was all business and networking for me with very little socializing.

Photos from Day 1 . . .

This was my room at the Copley Plaza Hotel. Although all the rooms were so different in layout and square footage, they were all exquisite.

Our transportation to the restaurant that evening was a trolley complete with a built-in fireplace. The interior was decorated to get us in the holiday mindset.

We spent the evening at Boston's Post 390 Restaurant chatting and enjoying hor d'oeurves and cocktails with team members from The Marmaxx Group (Marshalls and T.J.Maxx), Rocket XL, and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. We all had a chance to talk about the strangest gift we had ever received and then we drew names for a fun Secret Santa shopping activity, in which we were given a $50 gift card to shop for our person. The trick was that we only had the last 20 minutes of that evening to learn what we could about that person without revealing that we were his or her Secret Santa.

(From left to right) Carrie Kabat (TJX), Sonya Cosentini (TJX), Laura McDowell (TJX)

(From left to right) Tesa of 2 Wired 2 Tired and Emilie of Baby Loving Mama

(From left to right) Kasandria of Southern Bella's Ways to Save and Jennifer of Mom Spotted

It was a great first night! Look for additional articles coming soon on the topics of what I learned about off-price retail, current trends, and gift ideas.

Although The Marmaxx Group covered the expenses associated with this trip and provided me with a gift card for a shopping activity, I was not compensated for sharing this information with my readers. As always, all thoughts published are my own.

Boston's Mom Central Aquafina FlavorSplash Event

On May 27th, a small group of Massachusetts bloggers convened in the home of Stacy Debroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central, a consulting team based in Newton, MA known for their successful marketing campaigns targeting moms. This evening, we were invited to enjoy good food and conversation accompanied by the 6 delicious flavors of Aquafina FlavorSplash.

I very much enjoyed meeting Stacy and the entire Mom Central staff. There are many I have communicated with via email a hundred times over the past year or so. It was nice to be able to meet them face to face. I was also happy to reconnect with some bloggers I have met once or twice in the past, as well as meeting the authors of some great blogs that were unknown to me until last night.

From Left: Janice (Meal Makeover Moms), Stacy (Mom Central CEO, The DeBroff DeBrief), Liz (Meal Makeover Moms)

Members of the Mom Central team went through great efforts to pull off a successful evening. They even offered a raffle and planned a trivia game for our enjoyment. We split up into 3 teams. Luckily two of the teams each had a knowledgeable food blogger on their side because the topic was fruit!

The Winning Team! From Left: Keri (Toy Queen), Jill (The Daily Grind of a Work at Home Mom), Janice (Meal Makeover Moms)

Liz of Meal Makeover Moms won a Zoku Quick Pop Maker, which is just about the "coolest" invention I have seen in awhile (pun intended). Although I was totally jealous, I am so glad that Liz won. I can only imagine the wonderful things she will come up with to make using her Zoku.

Did I mention that this event was catered? Yes, my husband would be so sad if he saw all the delicious food we were served. Sorry, Honey, maybe next time.

Enjoying dessert and Aquafina FlavorSplash! From Left: Niri (Mommy Niri) and Nicole (Good Golly Miss Blondie)

Thank you to Mom Central, Aquafina, and the DeBroff Family for making it possible for local bloggers to come together when we might not have otherwise. I am so happy to have more business cards to add to my stash solely devoted to Massachusetts bloggers.

I wrote this post after attending an event sponsored by Aquafina FlavorSplash and Mom Central. I received FlavorSplash goodies and a gift card as a thank you for posting.

Boston's 2009 Halloween Town Fundraiser

On Sunday, my family and I attended Halloween Town, the annual fundraiser for "The Kids Fund" at Boston Medical Center presented by iParty. It took place at the the Seaport World Trade Center of Boston. The event was scheduled for 10am to 6pm, so we planned on arriving around 10am. That way we would be sure to catch the 11am Dan Zanes and Friends performance and we would be done in time for the twins to take a mid-afternoon nap.

In addition to the price of admission, Halloween Town visitors had plenty of additional chances to support Boston Medical Center, including purchasing Halloween-themed balloons, grabbing a bite to eat, making a souvenir t-shirt, going through the Haunted Mine, and more. Thanks to iParty, dozens of generous sponsors, and a countless number of volunteers, Halloween Town went all out with decorations, games, live entertainment, and lots of fun characters for the children to spot.

"The Mayor of Halloween Town"


"Sal Perisano, the CEO of iParty"

"Dan Zanes and Friends"

I have to say that I think my son Luke might be Dan Zanes biggest fan. He was so quiet and intimidated by the large amounts of people, but when Dan Zanes and Friends began to play, he did not stop smiling until the performance concluded. Luke applauded after every number and even got up to dance for a few songs, all while grinning ear-to-ear. My husband and I just had to buy him a Dan Zanes t-shirt so he could be an official Dan Zanes groupy.

"Luke Watching Dan Zanes and Friends"

"Jake & Makenzie Enjoying the Music"

The event was divided into many rooms. This room, which was sponsored by Zipcar, was Jake's favorite. There was an R/C raceway, a Mini Cooper and a Camaro in which children could sit and have their portraits taken, and this Mini Cooper that children were allowed to sign and doodle upon.

Amongst the many fun characters we spotted were Curious George, Spiderman, Elvis, the Disney Princesses, the Berenstain Bears, Captain America, and Clifford the Big Red Dog. My children were not brave enough to have their photos taken with any of them, but they happily gave them high fives.

"Spooky Decorations Provided by iParty"

"Entrance to the Haunted Mine"

One of the attractions we were able to enjoy as a family was the Haunted Mine. It was designed in a way that even the youngest visitors were not too frightened. As an adult, I think the tour through the mine could have last a little longer, but I think the small dose of fright was just the right size for a child.

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"Enjoying Pizza, Hot Dogs, and Soft Pretzels"

In addition to offering my family a 4-pack of tickets to attend this fun event, Halloween Town also provided another set of tickets for me to give away. I'd like to thank Halloween Town on behalf of the PTO of my son's elementary school for their generosity in allowing me to raffle the tickets off at the school's autumn fair fundraiser.

Thank you to Halloween Town for providing my family with tickets to attend this fundraising event.